The Cayman Athletics National Junior and Senior Championships have concluded after two days of intense competition that saw performances from some of Cayman’s top athletic talent.
Held from 26-27 June at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex, the meet brought together athletes from various local track clubs, including Vision Academy 345, Mustang Track Club, Speed Athletics Track Club, Falcon Athletics Track Club, Renegade Track Club, and Hy-Tech Tigers Track and Field Club.
A standout performance of the field events came from Falcon Athletics’ Gabriella Linton who secured her status as national champion by throwing to first place with a distance of 14.54 metres in the under-18 girls shot put.
Kaliah Haye kept the momentum going for Falcon Athletics, capturing the national title and rewriting the under-18 discus meet record with a personal-best throw of 51.56 metres.
On the track, Mustang Track Club’s Jayden Mendoza captured the gold medal in the 100-metre finals on Friday night before returning on Saturday to claim a second-place finish in the 200-metre finals.
Mendoza said, “It’s been a rough season for me dealing with injuries since last year, so [these results were] not really expected, but I still did my best.”
Looking ahead, Mendoza expressed immense optimism for what is to come, making reference to the Truman Bodden Sports Complex redevelopment taking place next month.
“Since the track is going to be rebuilt, … you’ll see some [impressive] times, not just by me, but the whole Mustang Track Club. During the rebuilding of the track … I’ll be doing some background training that will get me back to where I’m supposed to be,” Mendoza added.
Competition director Simone Savage praised the execution of the championships and highlighted a bright future for the sport locally.
“It was a great weekend of competition, and our Caymanian athletes gave us a lot to be excited about. We saw some outstanding performances and plenty of personal bests,” Savage said.
Savage also noted the anticipation surrounding upcoming infrastructure upgrades at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex.
“Like everyone across the athletics community, Cayman Athletics is excited about the new track. It’s something we’ve all been looking forward to, and we’re eager to see it open for the new season,” Savage said.
“Having a world-class facility here at home will give our athletes the opportunity to train and compete on the same standard of surface they’ll experience at major regional and international championships, and we believe that will make a real difference,” she added.
She emphasised that “it is not just about running faster or throwing farther”, but that a quality facility gives athletes confidence, helps coaches prepare them more effectively, and provides a safer environment for training and competition.
“More importantly, it gives our young people something to aspire to. We hope it inspires the next generation to fall in love with the sport while helping our current athletes achieve more personal bests, break more national records, and continue representing the Cayman Islands with pride on the regional and international stage. It’s an investment in the future of athletics in the Cayman Islands,” Savage said.
Full results from the Cayman Athletics National Junior and Senior Championships can be found here.
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